On board his modest gray tanker truck, Alain makes deliveries of fuel oil in Manosque and its surroundings. The man works for the company Garcin Frères, based in Valensole (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). Although activity is dense at the end of autumn, it does not mask the inexorable fall in demand for this petroleum-derived fuel.
Monique Garcin, who runs the century-old company with her two daughters, does not hide her concerns about the future of her business: “A few years ago we still had 800 customers. Today we have 500“, says the business leader. According to her, the explanation is obvious: the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, which led to an explosion in the price of fuel oil, coupled with government aid to encourage owners to swap their oil boiler for a heating method that emits less CO².
“A profession that will disappear”
Rising against this “political will which aims to make fuel oil disappear“, Monique Garcin can only helplessly note the loss of her clients: “Recently I had a gentleman in my office who wanted to replace his boiler with a heat pump. It cost him €25,000 and the State gave him a subsidy of €20,000.“And she warns of the consequences of this loss of customers:”We have already eliminated two delivery driver positions and we will continue to put people out of work. It’s a profession that will disappear.“
